Nigeria urged South Africa to stop what federal officials described as the deliberate targeting of African nationals under the guise of xenophobia.
Diplomatic Clash at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs Over Xenophobia
The Federal Government of Nigeria issued a sharp diplomatic rebuke against South Africa during a roundtable discussion hosted by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). The event, titled South Africa’s ‘Xenophobia’ in Comparative Perspective,
served as a platform for Nigerian officials to condemn recurring hostilities directed at immigrants.
Ambassador Olusola Enikanolaiye, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the incidents unfolding in South Africa are not merely xenophobia, but a form of reversed apartheid targeting Black Africans and citizens from countries that historically supported the anti-apartheid movement. Enikanolaiye maintained that Nigeria opened its doors and managed immigration movements during South Africa’s struggle despite considerable economic and political costs. The federal government also urged South Africa to take charge of the enforcement of its immigration laws and not surrender same to mobs because the solution to illegal migration is not to cut off their head, kill and harm them.
“It is both painful and paradoxical that a country which emerged from the crucible of one of the world’s most institutionalisedsystems of racial exclusion and separate development, which is what apartheid means, to periodically witness this sad exclusion and sometimes violent targeting of people on the basis of their nationality or where they come from and the colour of their skin.”
Amb. Olusola Enikanolaiye, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nigerian authorities argued that migrants are often scapegoated for structural failures and socio-economic pressures, such as unemployment, corruption, and crime, which they did not create. Enikanolaiye warned that political rhetoric describing immigrants with derogatory terms creates a permissive environment for violence.
“When leaders describe entire categories of people as drug lords, criminals, parasites, thieves or threats to national survival, they create an environment in which violence can be socially permissible.”
Amb. Olusola Enikanolaiye, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
South African Consulate Rejects Xenophobia Label Amid Security Warnings
Responding at the NIIA roundtable, South Africa’s Consul General in Lagos, Prof. Bobby Moroe, rejected the characterization of South Africans as inherently xenophobic. Moroe argued in his presentation that isolated incidents of criminality performed by the vigilante groups could not determine whether South Africans are xenophobic or not.
Security company Fidelity ADT published safety insights warning that everyday vulnerabilities continue to attract opportunistic criminals, noting that it is hard for any South African to say with conviction that they have not been a target of crime in South Africa or know someone who has.
Among the security warnings highlighted for everyday citizens are risks associated with running short on fuel, lowering vigilance when pulling into residential driveways, and sitting inside vehicles in isolated areas. Fidelity ADT noted that hijackings and armed robberies are rarely spontaneous, indicating a lot of planning is involved, and advised drivers to keep panic devices close by. Authorities also continue to combat remote jamming devices used by criminals to intercept vehicle-locking mechanisms, which poses a risk not just to valuables inside but also to personal safety if criminals enter the car.
Employment Vetting and Institutional Accountability
Nigerian officials emphasized that governments must enforce immigration laws properly rather than abdicating enforcement to mobs.
On the domestic security front, security company Fidelity ADT stressed that residents must exercise rigorous oversight when employing household staff or workers. Fidelity ADT underscored that failing to screen domestic help creates severe security vulnerabilities, noting that trusting people blindly has led to death in the past.
“This is equivalent to granting a stranger access to your property and home. Only hire staff through a reputable agency or word of mouth, always conduct a criminal background check on the individual, and request copies of their ID.”
Fidelity ADT security advisory
Nigeria asserted that patriotism says I love my country,
while Afrophobia says I must hate yours in order to love mine,
warning that while the former can build nations, the latter ultimately destroys societies.
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